Brussels, 3 December 2010 - The Board of Directors of ACEA, the Brussels based European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, has re-elected Dieter Zetsche as its President. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Division, will remain ACEA President until the end of next year.

In 2011, ACEA will once again focus on its two main priority fields: sustainable mobility including improvements in road safety, and EU industrial policy or the aim to enhance the global competitiveness of the EU economy and the automotive industry in particular. These two fields are closely linked as the industry’s capacity to invest and innovate depends on a strong, competitive manufacturing base in Europe.

“The European automobile industry is recovering from the financial and economic crisis, but the macro economic circumstances in Europe remain very challenging”, said Dieter Zetsche. “Nevertheless, we’ve stayed in the fast lane on our way to sustainable mobility.” The European automotive industry invests more than 30 billion Euros in R&D per year – more than any other industry in Europe. Zetsche: “As an industry we’re certainly not approaching policy makers with our “hats in our hands”. What we do argue, however, is that well-designed and executed EU industrial policy can make a tangible difference.”

The automobile manufacturers welcome, in particular, the European Commission’s re-launch last month of the CARS 21 process. CARS 21, or ‘Competitive Automotive Regulatory System for the 21st century’, aims to strengthen competitiveness and safeguard employment in the automotive sector in Europe, and to establish an efficient framework for the development and market uptake of clean and energy efficient vehicles. Zetsche: “It is a positive sign of commitment that the group of participating EU Commissioners has been enlarged. This paves the way for truly integrated and cohesive policy making which will benefit the EU economy and society as a whole.”

About Dieter Zetsche

Dieter Zetsche has been a member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG since December 1998 and is Chairman since January 2006. He is also Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Division which includes the brands Maybach and Smart as well as AMG and McLaren. Zetsche, born in Istanbul, graduated as an engineer from the University of Karlsruhe in 1976 and completed a doctorate at the University of Paderborn in 1982. Zetsche joined Daimler-Benz AG in 1976 at the research department in Stuttgart. Subsequent positions took him to both the commercial vehicle and passenger car divisions of the company and entailed postings in Brazil, Argentina and the United States of America.

About ACEA

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), founded in 1991, represents the interests of the sixteen European car, truck and bus manufacturers at EU level. The ACEA members are BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler, FIAT Group, Ford of Europe, General Motors Europe, Jaguar Land Rover, MAN Nutzfahrzeuge, Porsche, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault Group, Scania, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Cars and Volvo Group. They provide direct employment to more than 2.3 million people and support another 10 million jobs in related sectors. Annually, ACEA members alone invest over €26 billion in R&D, which makes them the largest private investors in R&D in Europe.

For further information, please contact Sigrid de Vries, Director Communications ACEA +32 2 738 73 45 or sv@acea.be
Please also visit www.acea.be